I was talking with other online counsellors and discussing the speed with which technology is changing and ways in which we all try to “keep up”. One conclusion we came to was that we can’t stay on top of everything! There is so much to know and only so many hours in the day. How to select what areas to focus on is challenging.
One way to determine where to focus my learning and growth in technology could be following my clients’ interests. Here’s an example – in recent months I have had clients talk about their experiences in virtual reality and how those have impacted their daily life. While I have developed competencies in certain types of online counselling virtual worlds is something I don’t know much about. Whether it’s gaming or Second Life or other applications.
So I read.
TILT (Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology) magazine often has articles that address “virtual reality” and therapeutic applications. The ways in which others use these virtual realities is intriguing though I have not yet tried any of them myself.
Here’s one that I might try. The most recent edition[1] describes a new program called ProReal (www.proreal.co.uk). ProReal is a program designed for coaches and therapists to use with clients to create virtual worlds. It’s a way to do socio and psychodrama virtually. The client, along with a trained facilitator – “creates a 3D visual interpretation of a person’s world through story, metaphor, symbols and social mapping.” The idea is that the virtual landscape becomes “the visual interpretation of the client’s world”. Fascinating.
There is a videoclip showing how it can be used in a therapeutic setting. I can see how useful a process and how rich a source of information it could be if this is the type of counselling you do.
Dawn M. Schell, CCC, CCDP is an affiliate counsellor with Worldwide Therapy Online Inc. http://www.therapyonline.ca
*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA